Take Home a Piece of Mount Vernon: Fall Plant Sale Returns Saturday
MOUNT VERNON, VA — Gardeners looking for something with a little history behind it can shop plants grown at George Washington’s Mount Vernon this Saturday.
The estate’s Fall Plant and Garden Sale runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Conservation Complex and Volunteer Center parking lot.
The sale includes seasonal plants, native perennials, trees, shrubs and heirloom varieties selected and grown by Mount Vernon’s horticulture staff. But the most unusual offerings are part of the estate’s exclusive General’s Choice line — plants propagated from seeds or cuttings collected from plants actually growing on George Washington’s estate.
Among the General’s Choice selections listed for the sale are native honeysuckle, Carolina allspice, spicebush, figs, flowering dogwood, red maple, pawpaw and persimmon. Mount Vernon notes that quantities are limited and plants are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
The sale also features native plants that can help support local birds, insects and other wildlife — a timely option for Alexandria-area residents looking to add more habitat-friendly plants to their yards.
Estate admission is not required to attend the plant sale. Sales are credit-card only, and Mount Vernon members receive a 10 percent discount.
The sale is located near the estate’s production greenhouses in the Conservation Complex and Volunteer Center parking lot. Drivers should follow signs from the intersection of Mount Vernon Memorial Highway and the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
For gardeners, history buffs — or anyone who likes the idea of growing a plant with a direct Mount Vernon connection — this is one of those distinctly local fall opportunities.
